Lofoten, a paradise for kayakers

Lofoten, Norway, will provide the perfect environment for a sea kayaker. The scenery with mountains and fjords makes this to one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it’s well known among paddlers. Even though Norway is close to Sweden, it is a bit of a travel to get there, although, it is totally worth it.

I’m lucky enough to be able to go back once a year to work with Outdoor Academy from Finland. Outdoor Academy is a wilderness school that educate people to become instructors and guides within different activities. I've spent two years at Outdoor Academy back in 2012 and that gave me the option to work with sea kayaking. Nowadays I go back to Lofoten to teach future instructors sea kayaking. The classroom is in the nature of Lofoten and it gives more dynamic conditions than the Baltic Sea for example. Due to lack of tide water in Sweden it is great to be able to explore tide races and surf options in Norway.

You’re able to fly in to Svolvær to get direct into Lofoten. If you want to use your own boats you have to drive up. We drive up with a trailer so we can use our own boats. We choose to stay in tents most of the time we’re there, partly because its cheaper but it also contributes to a more authentic wildlife experience.

This year will be my seventh time in Lofoten and I can’t wait. Normally we head out after the summer and drive out and stay in Lofoten for two weeks. Depending on the tide, weather and the agenda for the day we choose different locations. It’s usually surf, rock hopping, tide race, safety and management that we want to cover. The video below shows a few features in Lofoten.

The different locations in the video is a mix from Henningsvær, Kabelvåg, Flakstad, Delp, Gimsøy, Trollfjord and Reine. The clips that were used are from 2015-2019, everything were filmed with a GoPro 4 Silver and GoPro 7 Black.

One of the major benefits is that you are able to choose your environment, this way you can find the right level for your skills. The negative part about it, is that it’s a bit of a drive, nothing is really close by. But with good planning you can really make the best of it.

If you haven’t been to Lofoten, I highly recommend putting that in to your bucket list. You won’t regret it.